Research Tools

There are over 3,000 colleges in the United States. What makes a school "good" may not have anything to do with the selectivity or the name, but how good of a match it is for you. There are so many factors to think about when choosing a college including physical factors (size, location), academic factors (specific strong programs, research opportunities, rigid or flexible core curriculum, faculty accessibility), financial factors (scholarship availability), etc. Nowadays it is easy to research schools and visit them online. You can email their admissions offices with questions and you can request that they send you their materials (brochures, videos, applications, course catalogues), so you are getting exactly the information you need.

We have listed some links to help you get started researching colleges and areas related to the application process. So, choose carefully and research!

Colleges
The College Board www.collegeboard.com
U.S. News and World Report www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/cohome.htm
Online Application Services
College Link www.collegelink.com
Thomson Peterson's www.petersons.com
The Princeton Review www.princetonreview.com
The Common Application www.commonapp.org
Standardized Testing
ACT www.act.org
The College Board www.collegeboard.com
Educational Testing Service www.ets.org
Scholarships and Financial Aid
The SmartStudent
Guide to Financial Aid
www.finaid.org
College Net Mach 25 www.collegenet.com/mach25
FAFSA Online www.fafsa.ed.gov
Federal Student Aid Homepage www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/
National Association of
Financial Aid Administrators
www.nasfaa.org
Sallie Mae www.salliemae.com
Scholarship Experts www.scholarshipexperts.com
Minority Resources
The Black Collegian www.black-collegian.com
United Negro College Fund www.uncf.org
Hispanic Association of
Colleges and Universities
www.hacu.net
NAACP www.naacp.org
Student Athletes
NCAA Online www.ncaa.org
National Association of
Collegiate Directors of Athletics
www.nacda.com
National Scouting Report www.nsr-inc.com
Disabilities and Learning Differences
Americans with Disabilities Act www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada
Children and Adults with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
www.chadd.org
Disabilities Studies and Services Center www.dssc.org
Learning Disabilities Online www.ldonline.org
Learning Disabilities Association www.ldanatl.org
Attention Deficit Disorder Association www.add.org
National Center for Learning Disabilities www.ncld.org